Line photo masks and methods of forming semiconductor devices using the same

Abstract

According to various embodiments of the invention, there are provided line photo masks having a plurality of line patterns. These masks, which are suitable for preventing electric shorts between the data line images, are disposed on the semiconductor substrate by transferring them, which have the plurality of line patterns, onto a photoresist layer. One of the line patterns has at least one trench pattern.

1. A line photo mask which is alignable with a contact hole photo mask having a plurality of line holes during fabrication of semiconductor devices, the line photo mask comprising:
 a mask substrate; 
 a first line pattern disposed on a main surface of the mask substrate; and 
 a second line pattern disposed in parallel with the first line pattern on the main surface of the mask substrate, the second line pattern being overlapped with the line holes, wherein the second line pattern has a trench pattern in one side thereof between the line holes, the first and second line patterns being separated at a distance which prevents electric shorts between data line images. 
 
     
     
       2. The line photo mask according to  claim 1 , wherein the second line pattern has a width that is greater than the width of the first line pattern. 
     
     
       3. The line photo mask according to  claim 1 , further comprising third and fourth line patterns located substantially parallel to the first line pattern and disposed opposite to the second line pattern. 
     
     
       4. The line photo mask according to  claim 3 , wherein each of the third and fourth line patterns has substantially the same width as the width of the second line pattern, the distance between the third and fourth line patterns being substantially the same as the distance between the first and second line patterns. 
     
     
       5. The line photo mask according to  claim 1 , wherein a distance between a bottom surface of the trench pattern and one side of the second line pattern facing the bottom surface is smaller than a width of the second line pattern. 
     
     
       6. The line photo mask according to  claim 1 , wherein the line photo mask is a binary mask. 
     
     
       7. The line photo mask according to  claim 1 , wherein the trench pattern is disposed on the mask substrate on one side of the second line pattern extending toward the interior of the second line pattern, a bottom surface of the trench pattern being substantially perpendicular to a side surface of the trench pattern. 
     
     
       8. The line photo mask according to  claim 7 , wherein a width of an upper opening of the trench pattern is substantially the same size as that of the bottom surface thereof, and smaller than a distance between the line holes. 
     
     
       9. The line photo mask according to  claim 7 , wherein the trench pattern has a depth which is not greater than a distance between a side of the second line pattern and a side of the line hole adjacent to the side of the second line pattern. 
     
     
       10. The line photo mask according to  claim 7 , wherein a distance between a side of the second line pattern and a side of the line hole adjacent the side of the second line pattern is greater than that between an extension line of the line hole disposed with the shortest length from a selected corner of the trench pattern and a lateral surface of the trench pattern in a direction perpendicular to a width of the second line pattern. 
     
     
       11. The line photo mask according to  claim 1 , wherein the trench pattern is disposed to extend from a side of the second line pattern toward the interior of the second line pattern such that a bottom surface of the trench pattern forms an obtuse angle with respect to side surfaces thereof. 
     
     
       12. The line photo mask according to  claim 10 , wherein a width of the trench pattern becomes smaller extending toward the interior of the second line pattern, and a width of a bottom surface of the trench pattern is smaller than a distance between the line holes. 
     
     
       13. The line photo mask according to  claim 10 , wherein the trench pattern has a depth which is less than ½ the width of the second line pattern. 
     
     
       14. A method of fabricating semiconductor devices comprising:
 forming an interlayer insulating layer on a semiconductor substrate, the interlayer insulating layer having a plurality of line contact holes disposed in line; 
 sequentially forming a line layer and a photoresist layer on the interlayer insulating layer of the semiconductor substrate; 
 forming a line photo mask having first and second line patterns on the photoresist layer, the second line pattern having a trench pattern; 
 performing a photo process in the photoresist layer using the line photo mask to form a photoresist pattern; 
 performing an etching process in the line layer using the photoresist pattern as etch masks to form first and second data line patterns on the interlayer insulating layer; and 
 removing the photoresist layer from the semiconductor substrate, wherein 
 the photoresist patterns comprise first and second data line images corresponding to the first and second line patterns of the line photo mask on the interlayer insulating layer, and the second data line image is formed so as to overlap the line contact holes and includes a trench pattern image disposed between the line contact holes. 
 
     
     
       15. The method according to  claim 14 , wherein the trench pattern image extends from a side of the second data line image toward the interior thereof. 
     
     
       16. The method according to  claim 14 , wherein the line layer is formed of a conductive layer and a line capping layer. 
     
     
       17. The method according to  claim 14 , wherein the first and second data line patterns are formed of bit lines or metal lines. 
     
     
       18. The method according to  claim 14 , wherein the line photo mask is formed of a binary mask. 
     
     
       19. The method according to  claim 14 , wherein the etching process forms a trench groove in the first data line pattern through the trench pattern image. 
     
     
       20. The method according to  claim 14 , further comprising:
 forming third and fourth line patterns parallel to the first line pattern and disposed opposite to the second line pattern. 
 
     
     
       21. The method of  claim 20 , wherein each of the third and fourth line patterns has substantially the same width of the first line pattern, and a distance between the third and fourth line patterns is formed to have the same size as that between the first and second line patterns.